Fever GM Amber Cox defends fan base; former reporter Dawn Montgomery pushes back

Fever GM Amber Cox says no fan flagged by a player broke the WNBA's conduct code this season; former reporter Dawn Montgomery calls the remarks "extremely dismissive."

Indiana Fever general manager Amber Cox used a press conference last week to mount a forceful defense of the franchise's supporters, pushing back against what she views as unfair narratives about the fan base. Her remarks have since drawn responses from around the WNBA, including from a former league reporter who says she still refuses to attend Fever games in any setting.

Cox's comments, relayed by Awful Announcing, included a direct appeal for the criticism to stop, particularly from members of the media. Telling the reporters in the room that she did not mean them, she said her target was commentators who have never attended a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team's home arena.

The general manager framed spectator misbehavior as a challenge that spans all of sports, noting that every professional organization, and even youth recreational leagues, encounters occasional bad conduct from crowds. Anyone who steps over the line, whether inside a venue or online, should be held to account, she said.

She then turned to the season itself. According to Cox, not a single fan identified by a player was found to have broken the WNBA Code of Conduct, and no supporter was removed from a game. She stressed that a line exists and that those who cross it must face accountability, adding that the club's security data and the experiences of the spectators it hosts at every game back up its record.

Cox also pointed to the reach of the team's following. Supporters from 57 countries and all 50 states have attended home games, she said, while more than 35 percent of those in the building travel from outside Indiana for each contest. She added that the franchise drives a global audience not only for the Fever but for the WNBA as a whole.

On behavior inside the arena, Cox said fans will cheer, boo and at times point, and she described that as part of what home-court advantage means, noting the same applies to the Pacers. All of it, she argued, falls within the code of conduct, and she finished that portion of her remarks by saying Fever games have always been about inclusivity.

The defense quickly met resistance. Dawn Montgomery, a former WNBA reporter, responded on social media, writing that as a former member of the media she had said she would "never step foot" in the Fever's arena or attend when the team plays in Atlanta, and that her position has not changed.

Montgomery went further, calling Cox's comment "extremely dismissive" of what she described as a racist fan base. She also accused the general manager of acting as though nothing were happening, which Montgomery characterized as white privilege.

According to the report, Montgomery is not the only person expressing that view, and Cox's claims prompted considerable pushback from others around the league as discussion of the Fever's fan base continues.